


A Defining Role

by Lady_Phenyx



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Transcendence, Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Gen, Transcendence AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-28
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-05 23:29:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11023839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: Twin Souls was a phenomenon to itself, and the movies were all but guaranteed to be major blockbusters. But Richard really, really should have read the books before he signed that contract, sealing himself into the role that would define the rest of his career...Alcor the Dreambender.(Or, the Transcendence AU's version of Twilight and Robert Pattenson, in a world where the character he portrays is real - and hates the franchise as much as he does.)





	1. Drinking Buddies

“If you hate it so much, why didn't you just quit?”

 

“Ugh. I signed a _contract_. I think the guy who wrote it is part demon...is that even possible?”

 

“Ew. No.”

 

“Sorry. Anyway, if I didn't finish the film, no one else would ever hire me.” The actor tilted his head back and took a deep swig of his drink, mirrored by the demon sitting across the coffee table from him. “Were you really trying to curse the movie?”

 

“Wouldn't you?” Across the table the demon – Alcor the Dreambender – took another drink, and idly Richard wondered if demons could get drunk.

 

“What does Mizar think of all this anyway?” Richard asked, just drunk enough to risk asking about the other half of the pair he'd been near forced to play.

 

“She thinks it's funny,” Alcor said mournfully, peering into his can to judge the level of alcohol left in it. “Likes to read the fanfics to tease me 'n the Woodsman.”

 

This hadn't been the outcome Richard had predicted when he'd heard his co-star of the _Twin Souls_ movie was going to try summoning Alcor. To 'see the reality and get into the role!' (Alcor had come swirling out of the circle, taken one look at where he was, and started ranting, arms flailing and wings flapping hard enough to kick up a good breeze. Richard had agreed with every word coming out of the demon's mouth, and said as much, which lead to...well, this.) But damn, it felt good to finally find someone else who hated the movie as much as he did.

 

“That's just cruel, man. I stay far away from those things as I can.”

 

“She thinks they're _hilarious_. Talked the Woodsman into doing a reading and snuck it on my answering machine, even. Ugh.”

 

There was another pause as they both drank again, Alcor biting the top off the bottle Richard passed him, and the man paused uneasily before drinking from his own. Still, he was drunk enough – and desperate enough for someone to talk to – that he shrugged it off.

 

“And another thing, why would _anyone_ , let alone someone as old as you are, _want_ to go to high school again?”

 

“Don't even get me started, it was bad enough watching Mizar go through it without doing it myself. Ugh, and the way they act around each other...”

 

“ 'It's such a fairytale romance'” Richard quoted the interviewer from his last appearance. “More like a nightmare, if you ask me”

 

“She's my sister, why the hell would I even?”

 

“...really? I thought that was symbolic...”

 

Alcor shrugged and swirled his drink, looking more than a little buzzed to the also buzzed Richard.

 

“Sister. And she's married to the Woodsman. And...just no. Ugh. Why'd it have to get so popular?”

 

“Hear, hear,” Richard chimed in, clinking their bottles together. “I'll drink to that.”


	2. How Richard Gained a Drinking Buddy

Richard had known there was going to be problems with his latest role.

 

Demons were still a touchy subject, even now, thirty years after the Transcendence, as people were torn between learning more about them and trying to pretend they didn't exist. And Richard hadn't been chosen to play just any demon, but one of the most controversial of all, in one of the most controversial pieces of demon based literature to come out since the Transcendence.

 

Alcor the Dreambender, and the long awaited Twin Souls movie.

 

 

Richard had expected things to be controversial, but he hadn't quite expected the focus the movie put on him.

 

Especially not from the fans.

 

Richard hadn't had a lot of roles so far, so he hadn't had much experience of fans and fandom yet.

 

And this movie was giving him a crash course in the darkest aspects of mixing reality and fantasy.

 

Richard was fairly sure he didn't look much like the demon's human-ish form, whether it be the one described in the novels or in first hand accounts, but the hated prosthetics and makeup were supposed to take care of that.

 

(He especially hated the wing prosthetics and the sclera contacts. The wings refused to look anything but fake, but using CG to add them in later was going to up the budget enough the production crew was still arguing over them. The practical effect wings kept getting caught on things and didn't move naturally, and had a tendency to droop, sometimes falling off completely in the middle of a scene. As for the sclera contacts...it didn't seem to matter how many times Richard put them in, at least one of them always felt like it was inside out within the hour. He wasn't even going to get into the problems with the fake claws and fangs.)

 

They were going to be shooting the non-demon scenes, where Alcor pretended to be the human boy 'Al' (and why, oh why, would a demon choose to go to high school? The best Richard could come up was the chaos potential in an environment so high in hormones and emotions, but he remembered his own high school years all too well, and it was a particular hell he never wanted to revisit) to buy some time to fix the problems with the props, and Richard had done a few interviews already to promote the film, so people knew he was going to be Alcor despite all the issues. (Mostly due to an iron clad contract, but he mostly left that out of the interviews.)

 

More importantly, people knew what he looked like now.

 

Thankfully, most people could tell the difference between movies and reality, so apart from a few fanatics wailing about how dare he play a demon, one in a positive role at that, Richard was mostly left alone.

 

At first.

 

 

Then the promos for the movie really started, letting people know it was filming and releasing behind the scenes shots as well as promotional stills.

 

And the fanatics really began coming out of the woodwork.

 

For all that the books were controversial, and (in Richard's opinion) not very well written, they were popular. And their very controversial nature meant that most of those who were willing to admit in public that they were fans of the book were fans in the worst, most obsessive way.

 

The letters began pouring in, mostly from teenagers, though not limited to that age group.

 

Letters to Alcor, begging him to help them find their 'Alcor' or 'Mizar', begging to be ravished, for a deal, for all sorts of things they really shouldn't ask of a demon.

 

Some of the letters left Richard feeling dirty, while others were so depressing he could barely stand to read them, and though he'd sworn once he wouldn't do it, he had to leave most of them to his agent, letting them be filtered before he saw them.

 

 

Then came the day he was at a signing for the event, a rare thing during filming, but even directors had to let their stars eat once in awhile (though they made them pay for that at times, with events like these) and the two teenage girls came up to Richard.

 

The look in their eyes should have warned him, but Richard was still new to this game, still new to the insanity that was a good deal of the Twin Souls fandom, so perhaps it was not quite fair to be hard on him later to not realize what was coming.

 

The two girls looked up at Richard starry-eyed, and he braced himself for more requests for autographs or spoilers, backstage passes or...and he really didn't like this one...propositions.

 

Richard really hoped those were because he was an actor and the people propositioning him were star struck and not because of who he was playing.

 

He...didn't want to think about what it meant if the people propositioning him were doing it because they thought he somehow was Alcor, the demon.

 

But he had to face it now, as the girls batted their lashes and tried to pose seductively, pouting and asking for 'Alcor', as in the demon Alcor, not the actor playing Alcor, to come ravish them, oh please Great Alcor.

 

“Oh dear sweet god no,” five cameras caught Richard saying. “Why would you even, I mean, holy crap _no_.”

 

 

He just wished having that reaction on camera, being interviewed about it over and over, would stop people from acting as if he were Alcor and trying to get him to ravish them, like in the books (or their fanfiction).

 

Or at least stop offering him things. Especially the raw meat, blood, and sex. Just...just no.

 

After the fan who cut themself open in front of him to offer 'Alcor' their blood, Richard demanded security for every time he had to go out into public, no matter why he was out.

 

 

Honestly, Richard expected protesters at some point. This _was_ a romance movie starring a demon, and it had some questionable ethics involved, thanks to the whole 'demon' part (or at least, that was the excuse Richard was using), so protesting was almost a given.

 

Heck, the publicists and producers were almost counting on it, for publicity purposes. Cheaper than regular publicity and, for their purposes, just as effective, as people who'd never known they were making a Twin Souls movie found out about it from hearing about boycotts.

 

So, random churches and morality groups, both morality and 'morality', protesting, was expected and accepted.

 

 

What none of them had expected was Alcor and his reaction (and protests) to the movies.

 

Admittedly, at first, no one knew it was Alcor behind the sabotage. It looked like a string of accidents and plain bad luck, not something demonic. Most demons weren't very good at 'subtle', after all.

 

If anything, most of them figured Alcor would be, at worst, mildly annoyed by the film – he hadn't done anything to punish people for writing fanfiction that was technically about him, even if they could claim it was the fictional Alcor and not the real Alcor, after all.

 

(Richard had seen some of those fanfics, despite himself. Personally, he thought Alcor was taking the fanfiction with more grace than could be expected from a demon, unless there was some plan he had involving it. Unlikely, but again, demon.

 

Richard figured he'd handle it with much less grace and had already resolved to avoid everything Twin Souls related after the movies began to come out.)

 

At best, the production crew hoped he'd like it, for a portrayal of him that was meant to be positive. At worst...well, the word on the street was Mizar had promised Alcor wouldn't retaliate for Twin Souls related things, so hopefully he kept to that promise.

 

But things just kept going wrong. Makeup wouldn't work right, props were delivered to the wrong studio, costumes were made with the wrong fabrics or colors or size, special effects looked faker than a fifties B horror movie, a list of problems that grew by the day.

 

They were little things, all told, mostly things that could be fixed with time and effort (and money) but they were piling up. And each one set the schedule back and made shooting that much more difficult, piling on the extra costs, inching closer and closer to eating up the budget.

 

So someone had the brilliant idea to try and summon Alcor for help 'un-cursing' the movie.

 

Richard already was hating every minute of shooting this movie, the source material, and everything associated with both movie and books, so he had no interest in summoning up the demon they were insulting with this train wreck and asking him to fix it. The pay wasn't good enough to die for.

 

Hell, the pay was barely good enough to keep him working at this, and if he hadn't signed a contract...well. With that contract, if he walked, he was getting blacklisted, and he might never get another job, so he had to endure.

 

It helped that he was currently playing Alcor as someone who hated himself and his life. It let Richard let off a lot of steam over this movie during filming.

 

And yet, he was curious enough about the inevitable train wreck this summoning was going to be to watch from the wings, as it were, far enough away to not be involved but enough to see – hopefully.

 

Sometimes demons could be a little indiscriminate about who was within splatter-range, or so Richard had heard.

 

Plus...he was curious just how close the makeup department was getting him to the look of the real Alcor. Richard was pretty sure they were going off the books' descriptions of the demon, and he really, really doubted that was how the real thing looked.

 

And as the smoke from Alcor's entrance cleared, Richard realized just how off the makeup department and novel both were, and he was pretty sure he could see at least one person from makeup taking notes already.

 

Pictures were more than likely a greater risk than they were worth.

 

One thing Richard did notice – Alcor may have been floating (and ugh, that was going to be a pain to try and recreate) but he still seemed rather...short, for a demon.

 

But then again, demons could be just about any form they wanted, right?

 

So...maybe it wasn't such a disaster. Makeup wise, at least. Hair was doable, if fluffier than expected, at least the costume was going to be super classy if they went with reality as opposed to the novel...

 

And the contacts, as much of a pain as they were, matched a set of eyes that, while definitely gold on black the way they had been said to be, were glaring at the movie's cast and crew in a look that was decidedly unfriendly.

 

“What do you want?” the demon demanded, crossing his arms and sneering, obviously unwilling to be here.

 

“We believe someone's cursed our movie,” the producer said, stepping forward, director at his side. “We want to make a deal with you to ensure the rest of the production goes smoothly. And for aid with the special effects.”

 

Alcor blinked at them blankly before he began to chuckle. Chuckles turned to full blown cackling, a demon curled around himself in the center of the circle as he howled with laughter, clutching at his waist as he laughed until he cried.

 

According to the research Richard had heard producer and director discussing, the circle should have held Alcor to listen to them for fifteen minutes.

 

Twenty minutes after being summoned Alcor finally calmed down, straightening and wiping his eyes with a handkerchief he pulled from a pocket and disappeared with a little puff of blue fire.

 

“Well, I'm not sure you have anything you could possibly trade me to help you,” Alcor said smugly, examining his claws, a hint of laughter still in his voice. “Seeing as how I'm the one doing all the...cursing, as you called it.”

 

The silence that greeted that announcement was deafening and stunned. It erupted a few seconds later in shocked and confused whispers as the producer and director stared at the demon in disbelief.

 

“But...why?” the director asked, voice close to a wail, and Richard remembered suddenly that this movie was their baby, their brainchild, the thing they'd worked hard to get greenlit.

 

Didn't mean Richard hated it any less, though.

 

Alcor gave the director a glare, as if irritated by their irreverence, before launching into a rant about Twin Souls and why, exactly, he despised its very existence.

 

Richard found himself nodding along, surprisingly in sync with the demon. Forgetting himself, he stepped forward and added to the rant when Alcor faltered, looking for the words to express his disgust.

 

Alcor paused, looking at Richard in surprise as the actor joined his venting, and after a few seconds began to grin.

 

He frowned again when Richard wrapped his rant up with, “but as much as I hate this thing, I have to finish filming it, yanno? Or it's going to be a black mark against me and I won't be able to work again, hell none of us will, and all these delays are just making our hell last longer! I want this tire fire of a movie over with!”

 

Richard stopped, panting and only slightly embarrassed about his rant, hoping no one caught that on video.

 

“Boooo,” the demon commented, bring Richard's attention to him. “Ugh. Fine. I'll knock it off. But I want drinking and bitching nights with you,” he said, pointing at Richard, “until the whole Twin Souls thing dies down. Got it?”

 

“Can I invite others?” Richard asked.

 

“Only if they're coming to drink and bitch too,” Alcor said.

 

Richard wondered just what he'd gotten himself into, but...at least he'd finally found someone who hated Twin Souls as much as he did.


	3. Demon Approved (Or...not)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Readerdreamer5625 on chapter 34 – Haha! I'd like to see a chapter about Richard signing up a small contract with Dipper to attempt and destroy Twin Souls once and for all... and then they find out, apparently when demonic things happen around the actor playing as the aforementioned demon, people start to think that said demon actually agrees and supports the movie.

The filming had been going...okay, ever since Alcor had agreed to stop messing with it so they could just finish the damn thing.

 

The bi-weekly drink and bitch fests with Alcor (Richard had needed to cut them back, as that amount of drinking once a week was just a bit much for him and his liver at this point) helped more than Richard liked to admit.

 

At least someone felt the same way he did about these movies.

 

Richard didn't remember exactly when, but during one of those drink and bitch sessions, he and Alcor began to lament the existence of the series as a whole, and of the fandom in general.

 

The rants they both went on tended to end up on familiar lines when they got to that point, comparing the fans who wanted to be ravished by the Dreambender to the fans of the movie that continuously bothered Richard.

 

That seemed like a very bad idea to Richard on a multitude of levels.

 

 

So far, it was only Richard and Alcor at these drink and bitch sessions. For the rest of the cast, this movie was either something they had actually wanted to do for reasons beyond Richard's understanding, or something they were able to laugh about – probably because they weren't the main focus of the movie, so they weren't getting all the irrational fans up in their business.

 

As for the crew...most of them were too suspicious and superstitious to go drinking with a demon. Richard had a feeling a few of the people in the props and costuming department who had to deal with the practical effects of fake wings and the like were beginning to contemplate joining him.

 

Still, there wasn't anyone outside cast and crew who knew about the sessions he had with Alcor, and of those it was still only the ones who'd been there when he'd agreed in the first place after they'd summoned Alcor to 'de-curse' the movie.

 

At least, Richard didn't think anyone else knew.

 

 

Then, as he was sitting in the makeup chair listening to the artist fuss – there had been a few minor changes ever since they had seen the real Alcor, and apparently, nothing the hairstylist did was getting his hair to be a floofy as the original's, and the contacts were still giving all of them fits – Richard found out otherwise.

 

“Hey there,” Crystal, his co-star, chirped as she leaned her hip on the edge of the makeup counter. She sobered after her customary cheerful greeting, which was odd enough that both Richard and the makeup artist glanced at her. “So...you might want to check this out.”

 

She tossed a magazine into Richard's lap gently. “I saw it this morning – or I should say I was given this this morning.”

 

The makeup artist gave a soft “Oh dear...” when they saw the magazine's cover, while Richard stared at it speechlessly, his mind stuck trying to reconnect to reality with the overwhelming noise of a modem trying to connect to dial up.

 

FRIENDSHIP BLOOMS BETWEEN DEMON AND ACTOR, the headline proclaimed. In smaller font, it continued, END OF DEMON'S HATRED FOR FAMOUS SERIES?

 

“Oh, he is not gonna like this,” Richard muttered. “What even...how did they...?”

 

“Better read the article before you freak out,” Crystal advised. “That way you won't waste all that anger before you get to the good bits.”

 

“Has anyone shown this to the producers?” Richard demanded, flipping the magazine open to the article in question. “I know they wanted PR from this kinda thing, but rumors about Alcor actually being involved aren't going to help!” He skimmed the first few sentences before flopping back into the makeup chair. “Oh, he is gonna flip out. He hates Twin Souls. More than me.”

 

“And I didn't think anyone could hate it more than you did,” Crystal quipped. She shrugged when Richard cracked open an eye to glare at her, unrepentant. “It's not like you made a secret of it. We all know. Hell, anyone who watches the movie's probably going to know...or maybe not, it seems to work on set. Grumpypants,” she added, poking Richard's nose with a little “Boop!”

 

Richard wrinkled said nose, batting her hand away. “I'm serious,” he said. “Do you have another copy of this? I think I'd better show it to Alcor before he finds out through somebody else, or he may decide to start messing with the set again to prove he still hates this movie.”

 

Crystal and the makeup artist both winced and Crystal relinquished the magazine without more questions.

 

They'd all suffered enough for Alcor's hatred of this franchise, no point in poking the mollified demon.

 

 

Richard brought the magazine up the next time he saw Alcor, laying it on the table as soon as the demon appeared in his apartment.

 

“I'm getting the booze,” he announced, standing. “You...might want to have a look at that.”

 

He ignored the confused demon in favor of pouring out drinks – Alcor was, surprisingly, an utter lightweight when it came to alcohol, so Richard usually kept it to beer and ales, but considering the contents of that article...he'd felt it best to stock up on a few harder bottles.

 

Judging from the words coming from his living room, Richard was going to be dealing with one drunk demon tonight. He just really hoped Mizar would forgive him...and knew what to do for a drunk demon because he only knew how to deal with a tipsy one.

 

 

Sometime during that evening, the topics of sequels and fangirls came up.

 

Richard's contract locked him into sequels, should the first movie prove lucrative enough to push through to doing the other books.

 

And despite – or, perhaps, because of – the controversy surrounding the books, a sequel to this movie based upon the next book of the series was already being adapted from the novel in anticipation.

 

As for the fangirls...well. Richard was keeping far away from the online talk of the series, but the more outspoken ones hadn't been discouraged by his obvious lack of interest or enthusiasm.

 

Richard didn't think they'd actually made a deal, but...last night was a bit of a blur. He knew for certain that the sequels had been brought up, and complaining about Twin Souls fans that took things too far was common fare for drink-and-bitch nights, but after that...

Probably not his best idea ever to get actually drunk with a demon, but...well...the demon had gotten drunk first.

 

Richard had really underestimated how little it would take to get Alcor drunk, despite knowing the demon was a lightweight. He was a demon, shouldn't he be able to handle alcohol better than that?

 

At least he was decent enough to leave (or drop off before Richard woke up, Richard didn't really care which) Mizar's hangover cure. It was far too brightly colored and glittery for Richard's taste, and he wouldn't have drunk it except...he did have to go in for shooting today, and he was desperate.

 

...all things considered, the cure was surprisingly pleasant, and efficient.

 

Though Richard was still a bit groggy and fuzzy headed when he headed in to the studio, it wasn't anything near what he'd felt like when he'd woke up sprawled over his bed with pounding head and scuzzy mouth.

 

It was nothing a bit of caffeine wouldn't fix.

 

After awhile, Richard began to wonder if Mizar's hangover cure really worked, since he could have sworn he saw Alcor hanging about in the edges of the shoot now and again out of the corner of his eye.

 

Except Richard knew he didn't have a hangover the next day, when he kept catching glances of Alcor (or things that looked like Alcor, he hoped they were just shadows that looked like Alcor and not the real demon) out of the corner of his eye as they wrapped up that day's filming.

 

And again, the day after. And the day after that.

 

By the time the week was over, Richard was suspicious. By the time the second week was drawing to a close, he was certain something was going on, though given it was a demon, it was hard to tell just what that something might be.

 

But his coworkers were creeped out (Alcor may have been trying to be unobtrusive, but he'd stepped onto the physical plane a few times too many for anyone to dismiss the shiver on the back of their necks, the certainty that they were being watched, as anything other than his influence) and Richard was fairly sure sooner or later someone off set was going to realize he was being followed by a demon.

 

It was hard to tell just what would happen when that did, but if the headline that started all this was anything to go by...it was something Richard really didn't need.

 

The headline that started this had been based in speculation, someone's wishful thinking based on rumors from information somehow leaking out about the summoning to get Alcor to 'de-curse' the movie and his request for drinking nights.

 

The tabloid hadn't had any evidence to prove Richard had gone through with it, or even that it had really happened. Not that tabloids cared about things like 'truth' or 'evidence'.

 

Well, no evidence except for a sudden increase in alcohol purchases, but then again, Richard had made his feelings on his current role pretty clear, clear enough to justify a few drinks after work and a sudden increase in said drinking.

 

Right? Right.

 

But if Richard, who had the Sight of a rock, could see and sense Alcor following him, then sooner or later someone who could See was going to find him too, and the way his life went, it was going to be some reporter than Saw Alcor first.

 

 

Finally, the bi-weekly bitch'n'drink night returned, and Richard set up the usual preparations, but this time finished them early, seating himself on the chair facing the couch Alcor usually materialized above.

 

Alcor was true to form, appearing sharply at seven as they'd agreed with a little puff of golden glitter that disappeared before it hit the floor and dropping down onto the couch, smiling and relaxed.

 

He stopped smiling as he got a look at Richard's face, sitting up properly, all hints at relaxation gone.

 

“We need to talk,” Richard said seriously. “Why have you been following me?”

 

“I...what?” Alcor said, and privately Richard had a moment of disbelief that he was confronting a demon, but squashed it down. He needed to concentrate.

 

“You've been following me for the past two weeks,” Richard repeated, crossing his arms defensively. “You slipped up and I saw you. What's more, so did people on set. So what gives?”

 

Alcor slid down into the couch cushions, his arms crossed and wings pulled in tight and sulkily. “You were complaining about more fans coming after you lately,” he said, pouting. “And how much you were freaking out about the sequels. So I thought if I was hovering around being disapproving...see if I try and be nice again,” he added in an undertone.

 

“Oh. Well, um. Thanks, I guess,” Richard said slowly. “I think I get where you're coming from. Not sure it's going to work, but I get it.”

 

“Oh, come on!” Alcor moaned. “What do I have to do to get this thing to stop already?”

 

“Well, we're just the ground crew,” Richard pointed out. “We all got locked into contracts. The people who could pull the plug don't come around the studio unless it's to bitch at us about how long it's taking or how much money we're spending.”

 

Alcor let out a rude noise at that. “I know one of the backers,” he said eventually. “She'll never quit. Thinks it's too funny.”

 

“I...” Richard paused, thinking for a second. “Wait a minute, isn't one of the major backers Pacifica Northwest? The one from Gravity Falls?”

 

Alcor nodded miserably. “We've been pranking each other for years,” he confirmed. “This is pretty much her ultimate prank, no matter how much it's costing her. It's not like she's paying for the whole thing anymore, anyway. Not with all these other backers. But she'll keep paying for it even if they all give up.”

 

“You...could still come by the set,” Richard offered. “Most of the people that are locked in were there when you got summoned so they know you don't approve but you're not going to try anything. Might still work. Just...ease up on the creep factor, maybe?”

 

Alcor lit up like a star and Richard passed him a beer. “To further mayhem,” Richard proposed, and Alcor raised his can.

 

“Agreed.”

 

 

Alcor took Richard up on his offer, though Richard noticed that the aura of doom and impending death was much lighter than it had been, and Alcor was definitely hanging around less often than he had been.

 

Then again, they were getting into the part of the script where 'Alcor' and 'Mizar' were supposed to be romancing each other, so...probably just too awkward for the real Alcor to sit around and watch.

 

But afterward...Richard left the studio a week after talking with Alcor to find a young man with familiar brown hair lounging against the wall of the building. If he'd been trying for inconspicuous, he'd missed by a mile, as the long black trenchcoat with its turned up collar and dark sunglasses screamed “Don't notice me!”.

 

Richard paused, debating if he should say something or just run for security, when the man tilted down the sunglasses, and a gold on black eye met Richard's.

 

“What are you doing?” Richard hissed, grabbing the demon's arm and hurrying him off to the side where they wouldn't be noticed, a small part of his mind filing the action away to freak out over later.

 

Alcor, thankfully, didn't seem to mind the rough handling, though he seemed a bit put out at the reception.

 

“Keeping an eye on you,” the demon replied, as if it were obvious.

 

“I...why don't you just hang a neon sign over your head, it'd be just as subtle,” Richard groaned.

 

Alcor honest to goodness pouted, and Richard wondered just when his life had gone so far off the rails.

 

“This is how people dress for investigating,” Alcor protested, and Richard had to fight the urge to face palm.

 

“In movies, yes, not in reality,” he said. He signed, looking at the demon. “Was there a reason you were waiting outside the studio?”

 

“Oh, right,” Alcor said, shifting uncomfortably. “So, there might be a tour coming through soon based around Twin Souls. One that might have been timed so they could meet you. Full of people from the online fandom.”

 

“A tour of Twinners?” Richard echoed, paling.

 

“Yeah. So, uh...want out of here? I mean technically I'll have to make a deal for that but it can be like, some candy or something,” Alcor offered.

 

Richard dug into his pockets quickly. “Um...would a Snackers bar do?” he asked quickly. “And where? Where are we...?”

 

“No time!” Alcor gasped, as the sound of giggling began to grow louder. He grabbed the Snackers bar in one hand and Richard's in the other, and there was a sensation of _blip_ .

 

 

Richard stumbled as his feet his the ground, clutching his stomach. “What...”

 

“So, yeah. Sorry about that,” Alcor said, rubbing at his arm. “Kinda did that in a rush. The trip home'll be easier.”

 

“Yeah...okay,” Richard said. “So...where are we?”

 

“Well...I kinda promised Pacifica I'd meet her today, so...” Alcor replied, scratching at the back of his head. “Ready to have dinner with a superstar and a demon?”

 

“Considering the alternative is a possible rabid batch of Twinners, you're looking more appealing by the moment,” Richard replied. “Lead on.”

 

 

Pacifica was waiting in a small diner, much smaller than Richard would have expected, but then, that was probably the point – to find some measure of privacy.

 

It was also packed with an array of species, which meant Alcor didn't stand out when he sat at the table with sunglasses still in place.

 

Pacifica had seemed surprised to see Richard tagging along, but hid it well, her expression shifting to an understanding grin after Alcor whispered to her.

 

 

Richard was dropped off at his apartment three hours later with the phone number and email of a new ally and possible friend, and a deeper gratefulness than ever that he'd made friends with a demon.

 

 

That feeling lasted a week, until the tabloids found out, and the headlines again screamed of Alcor's approval of sequels and anticipation for the movie.

 

Richard began stocking up on the harder booze. The way things we going, he and Alcor both were going to need it.


	4. Actors and Sweaters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> okay that "imagine meeting the actors" to twin souls movie thing ye? Imagine Mabel going up to the Mizar Actor and being "I love your portrayal of me!" and just gushing over it and---yeah
> 
> Mabel makes both the actors sweaters with the names of their characters in enormous glittery letters on the front.
> 
> (Alcor’s actor discreetly gives his to a fan at their next public appearance. Mizar’s actress is caught on camera ‘out and about’ in hers no less than sixteen times in the next two weeks, and it becomes a staple of her wardrobe.)
> 
> http://transcendence-au.tumblr.com/post/106131341962/okay-that-imagine-meeting-the-actors-to-twin

Richard had been having regular drinking and bitching sessions with Alcor the Dreambender ever since the director and producer had tried summoning him to lift whatever curse was on the Twin Souls movie.

 

Well, Alcor had ceased trying to stop the movie, at least. Not happily, but apparently, listening to Richard complain about having to shoot the thing made him amiable to just letting it be over with for the sake of his drinking buddy.

 

Whatever it was, if it was sympathy for Richard or just being tired of that particular chaos, Alcor stopped the pranking and let them finish the filming. Mostly. With a few hiccups along the way.

 

But at long last, the movie was finished. The premiere was over. The worst of all of producing a movie was finished and done with.

 

Of course, that didn't mean it was all over for Richard and the other actors. Interviews, appearances, convention panels, all part of promoting the movie had been included in their contracts, continuing even after the premiere, which was still a few months off as it went into post-production editing.

 

Under threat of calling up Alcor, though, Richard was getting security at all these appearances. He wasn't dealing with any more Twinners trying to offer him blood or souls or begging to be ravished, thank you very much.

 

Of course, being a demon, Alcor might not have been the best backup for Richard to call on as a threat...but he was using every card he had at this point.

 

 

They were at the second of a string of ten total conventions feature a panel crewed by the entire cast of Twin Souls when Crystal started banging on Richard's door, bursting into the room as soon as he opened the door.

 

“Did you hear? Did you hear?” she asked in a sing-song, dancing around Richard's hotel room.

 

“I'm avoiding everything I can until we get out of here,” Richard said, deadpan. “Note the hiding in my hotel room part of that plan?”

 

It wasn't that he disliked Crystal, in fact he rather liked her...but she was still a bit much for him when all he wanted was to get out of all this as soon as possible.

 

Crystal had played Mizar to Richard's Alcor, which made him cautious of how he treated her in public. The slightest show of affection and the fans were shipping them as if they were the characters they portrayed.

 

Crystal didn't mind it, but then, she hadn't had people approaching her the way Richard had. _She_ wasn't playing the demon. She, in fact, actually managed to enjoy Twin Souls and had known what she was getting into.

 

Everyone wanted to be her character, and the PR department was good at getting rid of the death threats from people who saw her as coming between them and 'Alcor', so Crystal still didn't quite get how bad some of the fans could be. Not that Richard wanted her to know. He rather preferred none of them knew, including himself.

 

“Mizar's going to be here,” Crystal was squealing, ignoring Richard's sullen act with the ease of long practice. “The real, honest to goodness Mizar! She's scheduled to give a lecture tomorrow! This is the best day ever!”

 

Richard sighed and flopped onto his bed. “Crys, listen, you know she's not going to be like your character...”

 

Crystal dropped onto Richard's bed, making him bounce. “Well, duh. I mean, Alcor's nothing like your character...right?” she paused, looking down at Richard.

 

He made a rude noise. “Not even close,” he said.

 

Crystal nodded. “So yeah, I don't expect Mizar to be like the Twin Souls Mizar but, Rich, I've wanted to meet her for a long time, okay? The rumors say she's like, really girly, with glitter and sparkles, but really badass too, and big on the supernatural rights and...I just want to meet her, you know? I hope she doesn't hate Twin Souls as much as Alcor does...” she added, trailing off in worry.

 

Richard huffed, amused. “According to Alcor, his sister, Mizar, remember that? She's his sister? She likes to tease him with the fanfiction. I think you'll be fine.”

 

 

Apparently, Mizar came early to conventions.

 

And she attended Twin Souls events.

 

Richard found that one out the hard way, when a tiny middle aged brunette bounced up to them after the panel in a whirl of hair and bright yarn.

 

At first Richard had flinched back, experience with Twinners (and especially Twin Souls Moms) making him shy away from anyone who came up to him like that.

 

Behind her, then, he noticed the woman's...brother, it had to be her brother, the faces were too similar to be anything else...rolling his eyes.

 

When he saw that Richard was watching, he winked, that eye flipping from a normal brown to black and gold for a split second, and Richard found himself relaxing, as paradoxical as it was to relax in the presence of a demon.

 

If that was Alcor, then...this must be Mizar. And odd as it was, he felt safer right now with Alcor and Mizar than he did with fans of his movie.

 

At least these ones wouldn't proposition him.

 

Mizar, meanwhile, was chattering with Crystal, both of them talking a mile a minute, with Crystal gushing over Mizar's accomplishments and Mizar over Crystal's portrayal of her, or at least as much as she could see in the previews and 'leaked' clips.

 

“Of course, bro-bro doesn't want to go watch it with me,” Mizar was saying, “but I mean, he hates everything Twin Souls, so of course he wouldn't.”

 

“Oh, really?” Crystal asked, glancing back at Mizar – Mabel, she'd introduced herself as Mabel somewhere in all that chatter but somehow Richard kept thinking of her as Mizar – back at Mabel's brother, who shrugged, crossing his arms and looking away sulkily.

 

“Well, they are shipping you two,” Richard said. “I'd be pretty upset too.”

 

“Eh, it's not really us, so I'm cool with it. Oh! I almost forgot,” Mabel said, digging into the purse at her side.

 

She pulled a pair of sweaters out, far too big for that tiny bag to hold, and Richard glanced over at Alcor, who shrugged again, this time with a little grin.

 

One sweater was unceremoniously shoved to Crystal, and Richard found himself in possession of the second. Mabel was grinning broadly, almost dancing in place, while Alcor looked at Richard with a mix of sympathy and steel, a 'sorry about this but you're not getting out of it so don't even think about it', and Richard unfolded the sweater with a great deal of trepidation.

 

“Broseph told me all about how you two were playing us and I loved it so much I just felt inspired,” Mabel was saying. “Good thing I'm fast with my needles, I wasn't sure you'd be here to give them to! So much easier than trying to mail them or getting my brother to deliver them!”

 

Richard had to give it to her, as he stared at the glittery monstrosity in his hands – it was incredibly well crafted, the sort of work that came from someone with a great deal of experience.

 

Unfortunately, that experience seemed to come equipped with massive amounts of sequins, day glo yarn, and glittery yarn that spelled out “ALCOR!” across the front of the sweater.

 

Crystal's, Richard could see, was similar, but in a different color palette and with “MIZAR!” across the front.

 

Well, a sweater was better than bodily fluids any day. And with protective brother and drinking buddy Alcor still standing nearby, well, it didn't hurt to be grateful.

 

The thought was nice, even if Richard was never, ever going to wear the thing.

 

...maybe he could auction it off for charity, later. Alcor wouldn't get mad at him for that, right? A sweater made by Mizar for the actor that played Alcor. Yeah. Make sure it was a charity aimed at kids, and he'd be off the hook with Alcor, he'd bet – and everyone else would just think it was good PR.

 

 

Crystal, on the other hand, would be 'caught' wearing her sweater so often it became iconic for her.


	5. Premiere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Twin Souls Premiere has finally arrived!

Of all the things she could have worn to the premiere of the Twin Souls movie, somehow Richard wasn't surprised that Crystal chose to put her Mizar knitted sweater on over her designer gown.

 

Little wonder people kept getting her and Mizar confused. It would have been amusing...if people hadn't kept confusing Richard and Alcor.

 

Seriously – human, demon. Why were they so hard to keep apart for some people?

 

Richard was standing firm that he wasn't wearing the sweater Mizar gave him to the premiere. He hadn't sold it yet, but he still thought he would. Not that he didn't appreciate having a hand-knit sweater, but one with 'Alcor' across the front?

 

He didn't need any more fuel to the fire that he was really Alcor in disguise, ridiculous as that was. Richard had hinted his thoughts to Alcor, and gotten an equally vague go-ahead, although he had a feeling Mizar might be a tad disappointed he broke up the set. Or she might be amused. It was hard to tell sometimes, with Mizar, when she was teasing and when she was serious.

 

Richard also stood firm that he needed two invitations to the premiere. It would have been four, but Pacifica had her own through being a financial backer, and Mizar's husband, though willing to put up with quite a bit, drew the line at actually attending the premiere of the Twin Souls movie.

 

Richard had told Crystal and Pacifica that he was inviting Mizar and Alcor so they wouldn't also invite them, and swore both Crystal and Pacifica to secrecy when it came to his invites.

 

Perhaps it was a bit petty and mean of him, but after the hell that was shooting this movie, he wanted a little revenge. And he had a feeling watching this movie with those two was going to turn it from painful to hilarious.

 

If the one meeting he'd had with Mizar and Alcor's stories about her were anything to go by, she'd drag Alcor to this, just for the entertainment of seeing his dramatics (exaggerated but heartfelt) over how much he hated the entire franchise.

 

Richard...might have been looking forward to that a bit.

 

Hey, the producers and directors had made his life miserable for more than a year now, it was time for a little payback. And he'd included a note with the invitations asking Alcor to please, oh please, don't actually ruin this premiere? This was just for fun? Because annoying and mildly terrorizing everyone who hadn't been putting up with all of them for this whole debacle (the backers primarily, though some of the other people coming could use a good scare) was one thing, but actual chaos and terror were something else altogether.

 

Alcor claimed he made no promises, but Richard had a feeling he knew Alcor well enough by now to trust him. And he'd have Pacifica and Mizar there to back him up.

 

Crystal was excited about it, at least. She'd already been excited about the premiere – this was her first big, blockbuster film, just as it was for Richard, so even he couldn't deny that excitement despite the movie they'd made – but knowing the real Mizar was going to be there?

 

She was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning, and Richard had a feeling that just inviting Crystal and Mizar to hang out could create more chaos than he and Alcor were capable of.

 

Then again, Richard suspected Crystal and Mizar had been communicating since they first met anyway...

 

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the hotel room door. “Hey, are you coming, or are you just going to stay in there and sulk?” Crystal called through the door. “I'm sure Mizar and I can riff on our movie without you...”

 

Richard rolled his eyes but opened the door. “Was having trouble with the tie,” he said simply. “And got lost in thought. Let's hope the three of you don't cause too much chaos after all this work.”

 

“So long as you get paid, you don't care if this movie gets distributed or not,” Crystal teased as they made their way down to the lobby. “I think there's quite a few places refusing to show our movie as it is.”

 

“Very true,” Richard agreed. “Maybe we'll get lucky and enough will refuse we won't have to do the second.”

 

“Killjoy,” Crystal teased, lightly slapping his arm before they both paused, took a deep breath, and prepared to face the paparazzi outside.

 

 

Richard was beginning to wonder if Alcor, Mizar, or Pacifica were going to show up to this premiere. Everyone else had arrived and walked the gauntlet outside, but those three were still missing, and the show would start soon.

 

Then, from outside, the photographers (who had been beginning to pack up, sure everyone had arrived and they needed to get these photos back to the office) began to roar, the flashes from their cameras a veritable storm, and Richard smiled into his drink.

 

He should have known Pacifica would make an entrance.

 

Richard peered out the entrance, and got a good view of the trio. Pacifica was as elegant as he'd expected, in a slender column of a dress and with slim golden earrings and necklace.

 

The dress, Richard noted absently, was almost exactly the same shade of blue as Alcor's fire.

 

On the other hand, Mizar was in an oversized sweater, one long enough to double as a dress. And Richard was fairly sure she had made it herself, as it proclaimed “Woodzar 5ever!!!” across the front in glittery yarn and was covered in sequins.

 

Between them floated Alcor, arm in arm with both ladies, looking mightily put out as they each teased him, haughtily ignoring the questions thrown at them by the interviewers brave enough to continue their jobs in the face of a demon.

 

Richard could only just make out Pacifica's voice as they came closer, gliding down the carpet, informing the reporters that “Alcor doesn't enjoy this franchise at all, he's merely humoring us – aren't you, lamby-pot-pie?”

 

“'Lamby-pot-pie' is a declaration of war and you know it,” Alcor said flatly, face set and refusing to look at Pacifica as one ear flicked like an annoyed cat.

 

“You say the sweetest things,” Pacifica cooed, pinching Alcor's cheek to the reporter's horror, and only their friendship, short as it was, let Richard see how much fun Pacifica was having (and how much of an act she was putting on. Not with the comfort with Alcor, but with the flirting, and his friendship with the demon told him why Alcor was not just tolerating it but was teasing back, in his own way, for the cameras.).

 

Mizar, for her part, was grinning as brightly as her sweater dress and dancing in place with excitement, almost dragging her companions into the theater while waving at the reporters with her whole unoccupied arm.

 

Once the doors had closed behind them, the noise of the still-stunned and frantically shouting reporters was cut off as if with a knife, and everyone who was coming to the premiere had arrived.

 

Inside, the mood was awkward at best, and stunned silence spread from the door as more and more people realized just who had arrived. Most everyone who had worked on the film knew about the failed summon – and quite a few of them knew, but had kept silent, about Richard and Alcor's regular drink'n'bitch sessions (that had turned into friendship, though most of them didn't think it had gone that far).

 

But it was one thing to know someone who worked with on a daily basis was friends/drinking buddies with a demon and another to see said demon in the flesh, so to speak, within arm's reach and about to watch something you had worked on that you knew he hated.

 

Grinning, Richard started forward to greet them, only for a blur of color to burst past and attach to Mizar. Crystal and Mizar immediately began to squeal to each other, excited and happy and contagious as rainbow glitter and sugary bubbles.

 

Richard shook his head with amusement and changed trajectory enough to pick up drinks for the newcomers, since Crystal had their attention.

 

“Hey,” he said once he was close enough to be heard over Mabel and Crystal's happy chatter. “Glad you could make it.”

 

“Well, we couldn't let you suffer alone, now could we?” Pacifica asked dryly, accepting a glass with a smile. She glanced around the room, judging it effortlessly. “Did we miss most of the mingling?”

 

“Yeah, movie should be starting soon,” Richard said. He looked at Alcor, who was eye level with Richard for once since he was floating, the height difference less obvious than usual. “Think you're ready for this?”

 

Alcor winced, then smirked. “Are you? I have no intention of taking this quietly.”

 

“I expected no less,” Richard replied, grinning wider yet.

 

 

Everyone filed into the theater in near silence, and Richard knew it was only how close he still stood to the demon twins that kept someone from confronting him about giving them his extra tickets.

 

He was pretty sure both the director and producer were questioning their life choices by this point, though. And of all the backers and those who had pushed to create this movie, only Pacifica Northwest was still calm, gliding into the theater on the demon's arm as if she owned it.

 

Mabel and Crystal sat at Pacifica's side, leaving a seat at Alcor's other side for Richard, which he took, offering up a tub of popcorn.

 

It was almost a pity he hadn't brought a few beers to share, he thought as the lights went down. Then again, this was probably best faced sober.

 

 

Alcor sat silently scowling through the opening credits, and Richard was beginning to wonder if this had actually been the best idea, when the demon began making a soft snorting.

 

The film was doing an aerial shot of 'Gravity Falls' as Richard turned to Alcor, a bit worried, and he looked over just in time for the demon to start snorting back laughter in earnest.

 

Beside him, Pacifica was already snarking. “Is that supposed to be the high school? You could fit the entirety of Gravity Falls in there, let alone just the teens.”

 

Meanwhile, Mabel was excitedly exclaiming over Crystal's rendition of her, even if it was a rather warped rendition through the Twin Souls lens.

 

But when 'Al' came on the screen, all three of them began snorting. When the special effects (which Richard knew the director had fought long and hard for, for reasons he didn't understand) kicked in, making the screen around Al blurry and adding sparkles and soft effects (some of which looked suspiciously like lace and roses to Richard's disgusted eye) to the air around him, Pacifica was the first to lose it, the twins cracking up a split second later.

 

Like a rock thrown in still water, their laughter rippled across the theater, drawing laughter from everyone else, and from there, none of them could take their own movie seriously anymore.

 

 

They were still laughing when the movie was over, with Pacifica and Mizar teaming up to tease a still chuckling Alcor, quoting lines and re-enacting non-romantic scenes at each other, with help from Crystal and Richard.

 

Alcor was still making a point of reminding everyone that he still hated Twin Souls every so often, just to be sure they didn't think he'd changed his mind just because he was laughing.

 

By this point, even the director (whose baby this movie was) and the producer were chuckling, though Richard suspected that was at least half relief that the demon wasn't about to kill them over a perceived insult.

 

The newspapers were going to be full of this tomorrow, Richard was sure. Rumors and theories about why the Dreambender attended the premiere of Twin Souls, something most knew he hated by now.

 

But that was for tomorrow.

 

For tonight, this had been a great idea, and Richard was going to enjoy every last minute of it.


	6. Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snippets of Richard and Pacifica's friendship.

 

Richard had always had a bit of an admiration for Pacifica Northwest – just about everybody knew where she had come from, what she had given up for her ideals (even if it was unlikely she was going to be cut off forever, Northwest pride in bloodlines being what it was – her point remained, and she was stubborn enough to continue to say no, no matter what her parents promised).

 

For Richard, the admiration was a little more personal. _Vixen_ , the show that had catapulted Pacifica to stardom, had been predicted to be a failure. It was Pacifica's acting that had saved the show from being the mess everyone had expected, and Richard had always hoped that he'd someday have it in him to save a show the way Pacifica had.

 

Well, his curse was that apparently, his 'I hate everything about this and pray for everyone involved, including myself, to find the sweet release of death' portrayal of Alcor (which was only about half acting) meant that the show he was saving was Twin Souls. Twin freaking Souls.

 

Richard never thought he'd get to meet Pacifica...but then again, how could he ever have imagined the circumstances that lead to it, meeting her through his friendship with the Dreambender, of all creatures?

 

Richard really hadn't expected to see Pacifica again after that impromptu dinner with her and Alcor, even though they had exchanged numbers. That was practically professional etiquette, bolstered by the fact that they both knew and got along with a demon and therefore might need that backup.

 

Still, Richard was very surprised when he did get a text a few days after meeting Pacifica, asking him to come meet her at another out of the way diner if he were free.

 

He had to be cautious getting there – Twin Souls fans were more vicious than most, and the paparazzi were tenacious, so if he were caught going to meet someone, the rumors immediately would fly and the rage over him 'betraying Mizar' would begin.

 

Though who knew, Pacifica had been seen in Alcor's presence before, as friends. Maybe they'd let it lie...?

 

...better to be careful.

 

Richard found Pacifica in another small back booth, tapping away at her phone. She stashed it away as he approached, watching him with a touch of wariness, hands folded atop the table.

 

The conversation was kept light as Richard glanced over the menu and ordered, easy topics that didn't mention demons or magic.

 

Until after the waitress was out of earshot and unlikely to return until their food was ready.

 

“So,” Pacifica said, stirring her coffee as she eyed Richard. “How long have you known Alcor?”

 

Richard paused, his own coffee halfway to his lips, lowering it as he thought. “I'm...really not sure,” he said honestly. “Director summoned him to ask for help – thought the movie was cursed – and we started weekly drinking nights that week. I think...we changed that to bi-weekly about a month later. So...three months? Four? I'm really not sure.”

 

Pacifica nodded absently, finally taking a sip of her coffee. “He likes you,” she said bluntly. “Which is why I'm willing to say this. He may be a demon, but he's unique. Truly one of a kind. The only one capable of being hurt. Emotionally. And there's been a lot.”

 

Richard paused as he processed what Pacifica was hinting at. “I'm not going to use him, if that's what you're getting at,” he said, as blunt as Pacifica, and a little hurt. “We're...well, I'd like to think we're as much friends as it's possible to be. I consider him a friend as well as a drinking buddy. I mean, it started as just the two of us complaining about Twin Souls, but I at least enjoy his company.”

 

Pacifica watched his little rant, head tilted. She smiled softly as he finished, running out of words. “Well, that's good. I think I like you too, so I wouldn't have enjoyed ruining your life if you'd been trying to use my friend.”

 

The threat was delivered in complete deadpan, matter of fact tones, which only made it more believable. Pacifica leaned back in the booth, still watching Richard. “There...have been others,” she said after an uncomfortable amount of time. “They pretended to be friends to myself or Mizar so they could use us or Alcor.”

 

“Oh,” Richard said softly. “Well, he's the one who came to me – I just enjoyed having someone else around who hates Twin Souls as much as I do. Speaking of which...” he leaned on the table, arms crossed, a smirk starting to form on his face. “If you're such good friends with Alcor, why are you backing a movie made from something he hates so much?”

 

Pacifica mirrored his pose, grinning wickedly. “Let me tell you about the prank war that dork started almost ten years ago...”

 

 

Some part of Richard knew that, sooner or later, there was going to be trouble over being friends with a demon. He knew it was likely, but he still hoped it wouldn't happen.

 

After all, he was keeping it low-key. Aside from the set and that one time with Pacifica, he and Alcor had consistently met in his apartment, keeping it private. After realizing what he'd signed up for by agreeing to be part of the Twin Souls movie, Richard had become a bit obsessive with keeping his private life, well, private.

 

Mostly because everyone now seemed to think they were entitled to know everything about him just because he was acting in a movie.

 

And what he didn't let them know, they made up out of whole cloth.

 

Which was probably what led to his current situation.

 

Richard knew, in that detached way of things that didn't affect you, that there were protests about the Twin Souls movie. Mostly, the protests were mild – people upset on the internet over the movie 'glorifying' demons in one way or another, arguments over how 'problematic' the franchise was, and the like.

 

Thankfully, after all the fan debacles and Richard's fits over them, security was tight on this movie, so until now, the entire cast had been protected from the truly virulent protests.

 

At the moment, thought, kneeling on a cold cement floor while people around him did...things...Richard rather felt like it would have been nice to know about some of this ahead of time.

 

No one was really speaking to Richard, hadn't from the beginning. There had been a woman while he was getting a snack at the corner store, storming up to him while ranting, and when he'd been distracted by her they'd jumped him during the brief lapse in security, dragged him into some kind of car with a bag over his head and tied him up, and now he was here, with someone in a robe on each side of him keeping him down on the floor.

 

...if he got out of this he was rubbing it in everyone's face. He told them there was a good chance of this ending up like something out of a horror novel. He was missing hanging out with Pacifica and Crystal for this bullshit!

 

...at least the bag was gone. Sometimes it was the little things.

 

Richard heard the word 'cleansing' being tossed about, but that didn't reassure him. He'd heard of cleansings gone wrong, probably everybody had by now, and you didn't kidnap somebody just to sprinkle holy water over their head and let them go their merry way.

 

But security or Alcor or somebody could get here anytime, really, now would be good.

 

Suddenly remembering the handkerchief with Alcor's circle on it, the one he used to call him with in the early days of their friendship, Richard wiggled his hand down to his pocket, keeping himself impassive as his fingers touched cloth.

 

There was a mint in the same pocket, and Richard hoped this would work as he unwrapped it blind and pressed the candy to the circle, silently calling for help.

 

Because the cultists were beginning to turn back to him and Richard didn't like the look of the things most of them were holding. He was pretty sure knives and fire had no place in cleansing a person, despite his relative lack of knowledge in that area.

 

As if they had heard Richard's silent call, shadows began to slide away from the edges of the room, beginning to coalescence in the center.

 

“Now isn't the time to be showy!” Richard hissed, and the shadows paused, drawing back as if offended, if a mass of shadow could be offended.

 

The shadows dropped back to the floor like a drop of oil, glistening like liquid, the puddle rippling.

 

Then it reared up again into the shape of a person, dropping away to reveal Alcor in its place.

 

The two holding Richard down cried out in shock, and the woman who seemed to be in charge moved. She grabbed a deep bowl one of her followers, who had shrunk back from the demon, had been holding, and flung its contents over them, demon, actor, and cultists all.

 

Alcor screamed, falling back, clawed hands covering his face. Richard swore, the sound lost in the static of a demonic scream, managing to rise to his feet now that the two holding him down had staggered away from the demon.

 

Vaguely Richard could hear the woman who had first approached him screaming victoriously about demons and cursed movies and needing to be cleansed as he staggered towards Alcor.

 

The demon dashed the last of the apparently holy water from his face, snarling with rage. Reaching out, he snagged Richard's arm, and the whole room went blurry.

 

Richard landed with a thump on the floor of Crystal's apartment, where he was supposed to meet Crystal and Pacifica, and both women stared at he and the demon in shock on Crystal's part and faint surprise on Pacifica's.

 

“Take care of him,” Alcor snarled. “I'll be back soon.”

 

He disappeared, and Pacifica looked down at Richard sympathetically. “What was it? Crazed fans? Cult? Either way, congratulations on the initiation into the 'Alcor-induced Trauma Club'.”

 

 

It took Richard some time to stop being jumpy after the 'cleansing' incident. There was an investigation, but it was conducted primarily by Alcor, as there wasn't any proof of what had happened, and the police weren't much help – especially when it came to light that Alcor had been summoned during the incident and was the reason Richard got away.

 

But in the end, everyone decided that the whole thing had been because of the movie, not the demon. Richard, for his part, just wanted the whole thing kept quiet so no one else would get any ideas – whether it be to try another cleansing or to think Alcor was protecting Richard out of enjoyment of his work so far (namely, the Twin Souls movie).

 

Pacifica was more of a help than she would admit during the whole thing. Of course, part of that was understanding what Richard had been through, but a good deal of it was in her non-nonsense friendship, helping Richard get back into his regular life, if only to spite anyone who expected him to change because of it.

 

Pacifica was good at classy spite.

 

 

“Whhhhhy,” Richard moaned, face first over the coffee table, arms dangling off the side. “Why did you dooo thaaaaaat?”

 

Pacifica took another sip of her coffee, watching the show before her with a great deal of amusement.

 

Richard looked up at her with a pout. “Don't you have an answer for me? Anything to say for yourself?”

 

“If that dork's reaction is anything like yours, than funding the sequel will be money well spent,” Pacifica said dryly. “I certainly made a tidy profit on the last one.”

 

“I thought we were friends,” Richard whined, flopping back over the table.

 

“Which is why I'm letting you whine about it,” she replied. “You can negotiate for better security, and you'll be set for life from this series.”

 

“Twin Souls is not the thing I wanted my name remembered for,” Richard moaned. “You are the _worst_.”

 

Pacficia smiled serenely. “I know.”


End file.
